January 28, 2011

**Wife of a Wounded Marine**: Surviving Being a Widow - Things that have worked for me

I've been thinking a lot lately about the things that work for me in this whole "moving on" process and I wanted to share. I feel I've done an ok job with handling it. A huge part of it is that some of these skills were learned while he was injured. Things weren't easy then either. It has to be harder for widows who really never had to experience pain or really, really tough times with their spouse. So, I'm going to share some of the things I've learned really help me get through...

Pace yourself in everything. Don't make any hasty decisions. Our minds are all over the place. We may want something one day, then have no interest in it the next. Make sure each decision is very thought out.

Count your blessings.

Invest and budget. Spending a ton of money may make you feel better now, but you will regret it in the end.

Keep your closest friends and family very close. You will need them to pry you off the floor. Probably more than once.

Sgt. Mike Stokely died Aug. 16, 2005, in Iraq. He was one of those
extraordinary young men who have a tremendous impact on so many people
even though his time among us was cut short.
To honor his memory, Stokely's family has organized the Mike Stokely
Foundation for the purpose of helping children and others who might not
otherwise be able to afford it gain access to good books and the skills
needed to read them for pleasure and learning.
"Mike loved to read, from the time he was a small child till the day he
died in Iraq. In fact, during the last call his Dad received on Aug. 8,
2005, he talked in glowing terms about how much he appreciated reading
material sent to him," his family explains.
If you would like to help honor the memory of one of America's fallen,
more information about the Mike Stokely Foundation at P. O. Box 833 Sharpsburg GA 30277.
The telephone is 678-416-1387